Desert rock

Desert Rock is a term given to several bands from the Californian Palm Desert Scene. Often labeled stoner rock or considered a sub-genre thereof, the music might also contain heavy Latin influences, repetitive drum beats, and/or elements of psychedelia. Josh Homme's The Desert Sessions collaborations often showcase elements of the genre. The term was previously applied in the 1980s, to a kind of psychedelic country-flavored punk music evocative of the desert's dry open spaces. The songs from this genre had epic instrumental passages the lyrics referred to drifters, eccentrics and other people living on the margins. This generation of desert rockers was centered largely in Arizona, particularly Tucson, though most bands had strong ties to the Los Angeles scene (most notably to the Paisley Underground, or its remnants), and some relocated there.

First-wave

• Yawning Man
• Giant Sand
• Green on Red
• The Sidewinders
• Naked Prey
• Thin White Rope
• The Meat Puppets
• True West

Contemporary bands

• Queens of the Stone Age
• Kyuss
• Brant Bjork and the Bros
• Orquesta del Desierto
• Masters of Reality
• Eagles of Death Metal
• Fatso Jetson
• Nebula
• earthlings?
• Che
• Unida
• Fu Manchu